Thousands of new EV chargepoints to be installed in £20m scheme

The government is boosting its electric vehicle (EV) chargepoint installation programme with a £20m pilot scheme, after local authorities have been struggling to deliver infrastructure over the past few months.

Through the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme, local authorities and industry will work to place new EV charging infrastructure, from street charging to larger petrol station-style hubs.

1,000 new public chargepoints are expected to be built in areas which have won funding, including Barnet, Dorset, Durham, Kent, Midlands Connect, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk and Warrington.

However, in recent months local authorities have been falling behind government ambitions, due to a lack of resources and guidance.

The government aimed to have 300,000 chargepoints installed by 2030, but just 10% of these had been delivered, according to EV charging company Liberty Charge.

Decarbonisation Minister Trudy Harrison said: ‘We want to expand and grow our world-leading network of EV chargepoints, working closely with industry and local government, making it even easier for those without driveways to charge their electric vehicles and support the switch to cleaner travel.

‘This scheme will help to level up electric vehicle infrastructure across the country, so that everyone can benefit from healthier neighbourhoods and cleaner air.’

This month’s research by Liberty Charge revealed that councils complained government funding allowed them to allocate only 15 hours per week to delivering chargepoints.

90% of UK households are also thought to be further than a five-minute walk away from their nearest charegpoint.

The government hopes the scheme will help residents without private driveways to access EV chargers, allowing more people to transition to electric vehicles.

The pilot is backed by £10m of government funding, with £450m in total secured for the planned scheme.

£9m in private funding will also support the winning local authorities, as well as a further £1.9m from public funds.

Edmund King OBE, AA president, said: ‘It is essential that more on-street chargers are delivered to boost the transition to zero emission vehicles for those without home charging.

‘This injection of an extra £20 million funding will help bring power to electric drivers across England from Durham to Dorset. This is one further positive step on the road to electrification.’